Mate (2.7)
The mate is a non-playable entity which can be obtained during the single player campaign. Much like the player, these wolves begin either as a roaming dispersal wolf, on their own journey to find a mate of their own having left their natal pack, or as wolves still living with their natal pack, ready to disperse upon encountering the player. A dispersal wolf who has joined the player as their mate can be tracked via the pack stats interface, will be represented on the map with their own blip, and a heart icon will appear in the badge. This will also appear in the compass if they are following from behind. In scent vision, toggled by the V''' key, players can easily identify their mate by their amber scent trails. : The music that plays after establishing a bond. Behavior Mates will autonomously follow and assist with tasks such as hunting or tending to their offspring while within range of the den. When sufficiently weakened, they will replenish health from an elk carcass they helped bring down or the closest carcass they can find. While within the vicinity of a den, they will continuously interact with and fend for the pups, running off every so often to fetch food from a nearby food source. Currently, the mate will ignore trespassers. Once the player has found and bonded with a dispersal wolf of the opposite gender, the wolf befriended becomes a permanent partner unless the player restarts the same wolf in a new save. Mates will help fulfill essential survival tasks. While their AI is not on par with AAA titles, it is sufficient enough to allow it to cooperate and participate in some tasks with reasonable results, but not everything is presently achievable. *Mates cannot enter or have any interaction during a social encounter with stranger wolves. *Mates can assist with territorial marking, but only during the second mission of episode 2. *Mates cannot defend against the eagle. *Mates have limited actions and typically will not be the first to attack hostile entities. **Players are solely responsible for defending their territory against trespassing predators. *Mates will not be the first to attack large prey, however, they will assist after the player has made the first bite. Amethyst Mountain During the first episode, dispersal wolves are a possible encounter only found within one of the three stranger wolf territories once players have gained a sufficient amount of experience points for that individual wolf. Potential mates come in a variety of colors and tints with little to no variation in stats or behavior. The primary objective is to seek a dispersal wolf of the opposite gender and establish a bond. With a mate secured, the quest concludes and players will gain a loyal and inseparable partner. The events that take place during this episode are crucial as they set the foundation for the second episode, where the player and their mate will become the founding members and dominant breeding pair of their pack in the main campaign. Be warned that there may only be '''one mate per saved game. It is still possible to find other dispersal wolves after meeting and securing a mate. Even if the player finds a dispersal of the opposite gender, they will not be able to repeat the bonding ritual to secure the new wolf as a mate. The game will recognise that the "have mate?" flag has been triggered, preventing players from bonding with any more wolves. Slough Creek During the second episode, the mate will continue to help the player with regular survival duties, but have the added benefit of retrieving food from nearby carcasses or hunting on their own to feed all of the pack's pups. Unlike the player, the mate cannot fulfill tasks such as marking territory or defending its family from predators including the eagle. Naturally, these tasks will be the player's responsibility. It is able to carry and drop pups while also being immune to the stamina drain effect. This allows them to carry pups for an indefinite period of time, an ability that is especially useful while crossing the creek. Lost River While it is not an episode, it is possible to encounter dispersal wolves in Lost River. Much like dispersals found in Amethyst Mountain, a bond can be established, however the player and their newfound mate cannot migrate to Slough Creek from this map. This is intentional. Their sole purpose in this abandoned valley is to be an exploration partner and an assistant for hunting. Multiplayer In multiplayer, mates are not part (nor a focus) of the online game.wolfquest.org • How do I get a mate in multiplayer? This is why it is impossible to encounter stranger wolves anywhere in multiplayer, including dispersal wolves. Players are strongly discouraged from seeking, advertising or participating in any mate-related chat rooms as stated in the multiplayer guidelines.wolfquest.org • What are the rules for multiplayer games? Doing so will result in one or more warningswolfquest.org • I've been warned- what do I do? or permanent banwolfquest.org • I've been banned- what do I do? from WolfQuest. As of November 2016, the team have further clarified their stance on mates in multiplayer both on the forums and via 2.7's account system under the Game News tab.Title: Clarifying mates in multiplayer games. Read it here: http://imgur.com/llyvtbS The forum thread can be used to discuss this. Dave's posts: 1 2 3 | Susan's posts: 1 Abuse Reporting Because mate/mating-related games are a common issue and the WolfQuest Team can't possibly monitor everything that happens, players are encouraged to report inappropriate games that break the rules. Instructions and information are available in the WolfQuest FAQ.Chat and Reporting FAQs With text chat set to make a return in 2.7.2 public games, a report button was added to the lobby and pack stats interface, which allows players to submit a report in-game as opposed to the former method of being required to screenshot potential evidence and manually write up an e-mail to submit to the team for review. In the past, [[WQ Coordinator|'Cana']] founded the WolfQuest Report Team as a means of patrolling the lobby and multiplayer games. This group was disbanded in December 2015 following the removal of lexicon chat in 2.5. Gallery Mate (2.7).png|A player and their mate exploring the slopes of Amethyst Mountain. Mate scent trail (2.7).png|The mate's scent trail. AM-pack-stats-mate 2.7.png|Pack stats as they appear after establishing a bond with a dispersal wolf. Trivia *In 2.5.1 and older, the player had to visit each stranger wolf territory -- encountering and entering the social arena at least one wolf within each pack -- before potential mates would appear. As of 2.7, this method is defunct. **In 2.7 and newer, dispersal wolves and potential mates rely on a specific amount of experience points. *The mate can no longer die. **It could be killed by bears or by elk while hunting in v2.5 and older, but this is no longer the case. If the mate's health falls below a certain point, it will walk away and restore its health using the closest prey carcass it can find. *If a name is not specified, its default name will be 'MyMate' until renamed in the Pack Stats interface. *A mate will no longer autonomously attack a hare. **Prior to the 2.7 AI overhaul, mates would autonomously attack hares that spawned within attacking range. *The mate no longer stays at the den to care for the pups in the player's absence; instead, it will follow the player, while the pups remain safe inside the den until their parents' return. (Be warned that pups' health will still continue to deplete.) *Occasionally, the mate may get stuck behind obstacles, or they may completely stop responding due to a pathfinding error or bug. In most cases, howling or saving/reloading the file will correct this behavior. *If the mate is at the den, predators will still approach but not attack the pups. References Category:NPCs Category:WolfQuest Category:Single Player Category:Features Category:Friendly Category:2.7 Category:Amethyst Mountain Category:Slough Creek Category:Lost River Category:Galleries